I travel a lot. My work draws me back and forth across the United States, usually coming back to rest somewhere in the middle.

I knit a lot of socks.

As you know, socks are the most polite type of knitting to bring on airplanes, and that reality has wedded me almost permanently to the world of 16 inch, size two circular needles. Two by preference.

But then recently I decided to carry somewhat else with me on the road. And one evening, by the blue light of a laptop left on way too far past work hours, I began this:

Everyone seems to have tried Elizabeth Zimmerman’s baby surprise jacket at some point in their knitting career. I had to try it myself. Her almost cryptic directions called to me. I admit it. I was investing in the knitting origami of the future.

Fold A to A and B to B and sew up these two little seams and voila!

It just did not seem possible. Such a bizarre shape… talk about flying on faith. I finished this jacket at a large annual convention in Portland, City of Roses – see below. That may be why I did not manage to capture a final amoeboid shape pic before the origami ensued. Enter the baby surprise jacket.

This has already been sent to Baby N’s parents… awaiting his arrival in less than two months now! I used Mountain Colors Barefoot for the main body and Knit Picks sock yarn doubled for the button band. And I used one extra button. Ahem. Pretty much because I had six.

I was not thinking about the Project Spectrum colors as I started this, but by happy coincidence it definitely counts. Ha. And here I thought I was totally slacking off behind.